>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. the u.s. supreme court now entering the issue of gay marriage. with key votes on long-term unemployment benefits the senate gets back to work. lots of america doing a collective shiver as tempt plunge across the midwest. and cybercrime, you might be surprised with what you can buy online. ♪ >> we begin with breaking news. the u.s. supreme court now entering the gay marriage deba

debate. same-sex marriage became legal there earlier this month when a judge struck down the voter approved ban. last week the attorney general asking the state to stay that ruling. now they will block any same sex unions in utah while the supreme court considers the issue. we'll have more on this story as it develops throughout the day. the vacation is over and senate goes back to work today and the house goes back to work tomorrow. they'll vote to restore long-term unemployment benefits. who is for it, and who is against this? >> reporter: democrats are largely for this, and they tried but failed to get it dealt with before the long holiday recess. on december 28th the long-term unemployment benefits expired. what we're talking about is long-term benefits, something that kicked in that congress

passed when the recession started so americans would have more than the typically six-month window that they would keep benefits and continue looking for work. it's back front and center, the issue being taken up here in washington now that everyone is back at work. president obama used his weekly address to push congress on this issue over the weekend and democrats and republicans duked it out on the sunday talk shows yesterday. we saw senator chuck schumer and senator rand paul really incapsulating this debate this week. >> i'm not against having unemployment insurance. i do think, though, the longer you have it that it does provide some disincentive to work and there are many studies that indicate this. we have to figure out how to create jobs and keep people from being long-term unemployed. >> i think it's a little insulting a bit insulting to

american workers when rand paul says unemployment benefits is a disservice. they want to work. they don't want unemployment benefits. they're just hanging on with unemployment benefits. five republicans would have to join can with democrats to see it pass. democrats are watching to see if they can get four more republicans on board. >> libby, what about a vote, will we see one this week? >> reporter: we'll see a procedure vote today. that's where you need to get those four republicans who will vote for it if it's to pass the senate. the biggest hurdle is over in the house where house speaker john boehner and other reasons say they want to see this prayed for so they are--paid for so they're not willing to discuss this until they see a direct paid-for in congress. >> libby, thank you very much.

from the midwest to the south people are dealing with the freezing cold air, the frigid weather effecting a million people today. in chicago the wind will make it feel like 50 degrees below zero. it's dipping as far south as atlanta. we'll begin with ash har r ,how cold is it going to get and how are you doing? >> we're looking at temperatures in the minus ten and min minus 15-degree range and those wind chills are getting clown, minus 40 and below--working outside can be dangerous, so authorities are telling people if you do not

have to be outside, do not go outside. stay indoors as much as possible. there are some delays. there are people who need to get into the city. we're hearing between midway airport and o'hare airport, 400 flight cancellations. there are also problems on commuter trains in chicago, delays on pos most of them. if you do not have to commute, authorities are saying stay home, cosy up with a good book and hot coy co. don't do anything like this. >> i'll let you get back inside. robert ray in atlanta, this is the coldest weather that weather down south has seen in quite some time. how cold is it where you are? >> reporter: del, it's in the 20s right now, and it will dip down in the single digits this evening. you can see the snowplow here. there are 40 of niece in the the city of atlanta, they've not always had this many.

but they're out as a precaution because black ice is a major problem as temperatures drop and precipitation comes in. what we're looking at is dangerous temperatures coming in overnight as they slip into the single digits. it's actually going to be warmer in anchorage, alaska, than it is in atlanta, georgia, and much of the south. we could be looking at wind chills of negative 30, and earlier today we had a 40 mph wind gust. people are taking this very serious. homes are not insulated the same way they are in the north. pipes are not insulated like they are in the north. they're not wrapped, and people are worried about water pipes exploding as we continue to watch this arctic deep freeze here in atlanta, georgia, and throughout the south.

>> robert, thank you very much. those two cities showing what the definition of what cold is depends on where you live. dave warren is here to tell us if it is going to get warmer any time soon? >> meteorologist: no, it's not going to be getting warmer any time soon. we're talking about cities along the mid atlanta coast and up to new england. this shows the spin here barely is the infrared satellite picture. it's white because it's looking at temperatures, which are so cold. we have this polar vortex because it's air from the poles, it dips south and spins. it stays over an area for some time and brings in cold air and colder air from the north. that's where the oldest air is over the great plains. it will continue tuesday and wednesday, and we'll have bitter

cold wind chills. >> dave warren, thank you very much. it's unclear where the 13 13-year-old girl who was declared brain dead is receiving her medical care. she suffered cardiac arrest after a toafter a tonsillal ope. her family fighting the hospital to take her off life support. angela merkel brok fell whie skiing and is recovering from pelvic injury. the leader of sudan is visiting juba as it carefully

watches its neighbor. >> conflicts in the south will drain our resources here in the north. >> i have friends in the south. we're still one people and it's bothering me that they're killing each other. >> the south sudan need sudanese sudanese just like us. what affects them affects us. >> reporter: sudan's economy relies on the revenues of its pipeline. >> if the war condition continue pipeline will be cut and that will affect the sudanese economy and that will double the sense of the crisis. >> reporter: south sudanese officials promise they will keep

the oil flowing, but that's not good enough for sudan. >> the security of the two countries is inseparable. if you're asking about military intervention, i don't think it's an option here. >> reporter: they're saying neutral about the conflict in the south one thing, but staying idle and not helping to find a solution is a different situation. >> you cannot know what will happen in the future if this conflict continues. you wouldn't expect the sudanese army would do it alone, but they have the ape capability, they have the knowledge they have the instrument in order to have a strong influence in the south.

>> reporter: the two countries still have several unresolved issues including border delineation, migration. and war in the south is feared to complicate further those issues. >> people are dead after fighting in anbar province. the iraqi military said it is ready to regain control of fallujah. by way of background. sunni tribes began protesting in anbar province over me men in detainedetaindetaineesthere. the islamic state of iraq was formed. it played on sunni fears of shia domination and support for the group spread quickly.

president al mal maliki sendingn troops during protests. it's a timetable for when government nourses will go into fallujah, do we know what that timetable is? >> reporter: no, this is a very delicate operation. so far what we've seen is iraqi army forces shelling key positions in the city and airstrikes in the city in preparation for ground assault. the ground assault will not be mounted by the iraqi army. it will be mounted by tribes loyal to the iraqi army. they say it is up to them to get rid of isil fighters that they should do this, and the iraqi army should be in a support role. the army surrounded the entire

city and started with supplies and energy and allowed residents to leave. it's likely any assault could come within the next few hours next 24 hours. the tribes will lead that assault into the city, but already we've heard from isil fighters who say they're ready to fight to the death. this battle perhaps will not be decisive, but certainly brutal. >> a lot of families are fleeing fallujah. do we know where they are going? >> reporter: they're in the outskirts of the city. now the iraqi red cross has tried to get supplies to them, but it is difficult given the numbers of those families and they do know need more supplies to get fuel and food down to these families is very necessary, and getting tangors through the iraqi army check points has been a challenge. not only do they face security situation but a humanitarian situation is building as well.

>> joining us live. thank you very much. one of three al jazeera staff members has been held without charges, are accused of spreading lies against state security and joining terrorist groups. up next there is a hidden part of the internet few people can find as it is being used for a growing black market.

>> a large part of the internet has become a plaque market and a widely available technology helps users access it anonymously. john henderson takes a look beyond the facebook and cat videos at the hidden internet. >> there is a praise on the

internet so deep, so dark, so utterly anonymous it has become a black market bazaar for crime. >> you have everything there. you have hits for hire. you can kill people. you can buy drugs. you can buy people. you can--i mean, there is everything that we in society say shouldn't exist as a civilized society, and it is there. if it is not there, ask for it, and somebody may provide it. >> for a price you can order up false ids, real u.s. assists, and murder for hire. >> you can pay an assassin to go after a certain person for $6,000, plus. >> just don't ask him to videotape it. this killer has standards. there are teenagers for sale. unregistered guns you can make on your 3d printer or have delivered to your door. and drug sites complete with checkout carts and reviews from happy, presumably high customers. >> it's the amazon of the drug world where you can go through

and purchase whatever you would like, cannabis, stimulus. >> welcome to the deep web. it's a hidden part of the internet with everything you can't find on google and bing. it's hundreds of times larger than the worldwide web and it's unnervingly easy to navigate. it's all made possible by atechnology like the onion router. >> connected to a lot of machines around the world. >> reporter: and by bit coin, a digital currency experts call untraceable. there has been arrests like this child porn bust in november, and the shut down of the silk road replaced by silk road 2.0. don't blame technology. >> i can kidnap people, hack

banks or save people. >> it's no surprise criminals and pornographyers use it, privacy advocacy say the deep web may be fulfilling our fears, but it is also fulfilling it's promise of spre free speech. >> taking a look at business news, janet yellen will be the first woman ever to lead the federal reserve, the senate is expected to vote to confirm yellen as chairman later this

afternoon. >> janet yellen's great task for the next few years is to try to achieve what ben bernanke hasn't, which is to full-fledge durable sustainable recovery. we are not there yet, but thanks to ben bernanke we are closer than we would have been. >> the jp morgan chase is said to be close to a deal in the berni madoff case. t-mobile is writing a big check to verizon. the deal is worth more than $3 billion. the money will be spent on some of what is called the spectrum licenses owned by verizon. it will cover 150 million people in several major cities including new york, los angeles, washington, d.c.

>> today and now declaring unconditional war on poverty. >> lbj declaring his war on poverty. and it's not just a fashion statement, this new pair of gloves will make it safer for you to ride your bike.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are today's headlines. the supreme court entering the gay marriage debate. jusin utah same-sex marriage bee legal when a judge struck down a voter approved ban. last week the attorney general asking the supreme court to spend that ruling now the supreme court blocking any new same sex unions in utah while the federal court conditions

that issue. some of the priorities in washington, d.c. include a bill to raise the federal minimum raise, the possible extension of job benefits and the confirmation of janet yellen as head of federal reserve. the iraqi military is saying that it is ready to regain fallujah. it comes as thousands of families are fleeing the city to escape the growing violence there. wednesday is the 50th anniversary of a landmark speech by lyndon baines johnson. ,lbj. we look at the speech and it'sing. >> this administration today here and now declares unconditional war on poverty in america. >> reporter: the speech came less than two months after the

assassination of president kennedy. >> our aim is not only to relief the symptom of poverty, but to cure it, and above all to prevent it. >> reporter: poverty had been a major concern of president kennedy and with the country still grieving and one in five americans living in poverty johnson declared war on poverty. university of texas dallas professor wrote a book about how poverty undermined the united states. he said that johnson's war on poverty was one of his best. >> he knew he was not going to be a loved president. therefore it's much easier to continue the line of a presidency that was more than admired. he was loved and whatever, and take his agenda and make it

yours. all the time making sure you give enough credit to the person. >> let us carry forward the plans and programs of john fitzgerald kennedy, not because of our sorrow or sympathy, but because they are right. >> reporter: to help convince congress to invest in the war on poverty, johnson took his plan to the people. known as poverty tours johnson went to see the poorest of the poor in places like the mountains of west virginia. >> it helps with the legislation. every time you played these little theatrics you're going to have success. >> reporter: five years after the law passed poverty dropped from nearly 20% to 11%. today it's back around 15%. that's more than 46 million americans according to the census bureau. >> the richest nation on earth

can afford to win it. we cannot afford to lose it. >> reporter: the world's poverty is yet another war that we're not winning. we cannot win the war of poverty for anyone else. those who are affected by poverty can be empowered in order to get out from this position. >> reporter: poverty nadin said president johnson had the best intentions and the war on poverty had an impact. just not the impact the country was working for. trillions of tax dollars and decades later, poverty persists. >> meteorologist: i'm meteorologist dave warren. watching this canadian air coming down over the northern plains, many may be saying where

is the cold air in new jersey, the temperatures are up to 50. that will change. this will slide east. this is monday, tuesday, and early wednesday. tuesday and wednesday looks to be the coldest days if not right now, you're certainly feeling it in minnesota and north dakota. these are the conference down well below zero. when you factor in the wind this is what it files like. temperatures down to 5 50 belown minneapolis. chicago is almost down to 50 below. that's what it feels like on your skin when you factor i in e cold air and the gusting wind. this is what it feels like in minneapolis. the actual temperature, 10 below, that's the high temperature. 11 on wednesday and light snow. tuesday and wednesday, the coldest days in chicago. there is rain coming down across the mid-atlantic states. that's the cold front moving

through. temperatures moving through the 50s. it will drop to freezing at 6:00. down to zero in pittsburgh and cleveland, and it doesn't get higher from there. the high temperature in philadelphia-new york set at 12:01 because we're not rebounding from how warm we will be tonight to tomorrow afternoon, which is single digit temperatures and barely climbing above the single digits tomorrow afternoon. you can see the coldest air monday and tuesday. wednesday getting a little warmer. also seeing freezing temperatures as far south as florida. >> thank you very much. now to the next fashion statement in cycling, something that you would need on a day like today. it's a glove that makes riding just a little bit safer. the gloves have l.e.d. arrows that let you know where they are turning. and he used kick starters to get gloves off the ground.

thanks for watching al jazeera america. "inside story" is next. house or capitol hill for help. running cities in the time of austerity. that's the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. for many american cities the big municipalities for the core of the metropolitan areas it was a rough half century. from the 1950s on many of them